What should you know about excision for melanoma?

A clinician first removes the visible melanoma, usually with local anaesthetic. The additional rim of tissue is called a margin; its size depends on features such as the melanoma's depth and location. The removed tissue is examined to confirm the diagnosis and describe details that guide the next step.

Some people are offered a sentinel lymph node biopsy when the melanoma has features that make checking nearby lymph drainage useful. Surgery may leave a line-shaped scar, and a larger wound may need stitches, a skin graft, or another closure method.

Tell the surgical team about medicines that affect bleeding, allergies, immune conditions, and previous problems with anaesthesia. Follow the dressing and wound-care instructions, keep the area protected from friction, and attend the appointment where the pathology result is explained.

The result may lead to routine surveillance, additional surgery, lymph-node assessment, or discussion of treatments such as immunotherapy. Do not assume that a clear-looking wound means the whole treatment plan is complete.

Contact the treating team promptly for bleeding that does not settle with firm pressure, spreading redness, increasing warmth, pus, wound separation, or pain that is worsening rather than easing. Seek urgent help for breathing difficulty, faintness, or sudden swelling after a medicine or procedure.

Arrange review for a new or changing pigmented spot, a firm lump near the scar, or persistent swelling in a nearby lymph-node area. Melanoma follow-up may also include checks for symptoms elsewhere in the body.

Ask which margin is planned, whether a sentinel lymph node biopsy is relevant, how the wound will be closed, when pathology will be ready, and what symptoms should trigger an earlier review.